The subject invention relates to a personal flotation device and in particular to a flotation device that does not interfere with a person""s use of his/her arms and/or legs and that accordingly can be worn by a person while performing any of numerous water activities, such as but not limited to swimming, competitive swim training, physical therapy, general physical fitness, aerobics, and various recreational activities.
Water activities are a satisfying and healthy way to achieve physical fitness and promote mental well-being. Swimming and other water related activities can be performed by persons of all ages and by persons with physical handicaps that would otherwise prevent them from participating in physical activities. Water activities that promote physical and mental well being include but are not limited to competitive and recreational swimming, training and conditioning for competitive and recreational swimming, water aerobic and strength training, water therapy for physical handicaps and rehabilitation from injuries or surgery, water games, and various other recreational activities.
Willibald Nagler, M. D., F.A.C.P., of The New York Hospital Cornell Medical Center, stated in the foreword to xe2x80x9cSWIMMING FOR TOTAL FITNESSxe2x80x9d written by Jane Katz Ed. E. and copyrighted in 1981:
xe2x80x9cSwimming has many advantages over other sports. Most aerobic activities (that is, those that make us out of breath), such as jogging, tennis, climbing, and aerobic dancing, place stress on the weight-bearing joints and the lumbar spine. Swimming, on the other hand, gives an aerobic effect with less stress to the joints. In addition, moving the arms and legs against the resistance of the water is the equivalent of exercising with weights, but since water doesn""t allow any sudden, harmful movements, the risk of injury is lowered. Also, swimming exercises both sides of the body equally. Out of water, only cross-country skiing even approaches this symmetrical effect.
Although swimming is ideal for people of any age, it is particularly beneficial for the older person. By the age of sixty or seventy, many people who are in otherwise excellent health are hampered in sports by minor hypertrophic arthritic changes in the spine and the weight-bearing joints, which can make it rather difficult to jog, play tennis, or take part in other sporting activities. For these people, swimming is an excellent way to reap the aerobic benefits of running or tennis without incurring any pain. In the water, the weight-bearing stress of the vertical position is eliminated, there is is less stress on the joints during the contraction of muscles, and what stress there is distributed equally throughout the joints. For these reasons swimming is a very useful therapeutic activity for many locomotion problems. In fact, the swimmer can do much by himself to contribute to his own rehabilitation, thereby often shortening an otherwise long and expensive process.xe2x80x9d
Thus, water activities such as swimming, water aerobics, hydro calisthenics, water therapy, water fitness training as well as various recreational activities can be very beneficial to persons of all ages and can be particularly beneficial to a person of any age rehabilitating from an injury and/or surgery. It is an object of the subject invention to provide a personal flotation device that does not interfere with the person""s use of his/her arms and legs and that facilitates the participation by most persons in water activities regardless of age, disabilities, fear of the water, or injuries. It is a another object of the subject invention to provide a personal flotation device that is inexpensive, easy to put on and remove, comfortable to wear and that, in addition to use in connection with therapeutic, hydro calisthenic, physical fitness training, instructional training, competitive swimming training, aerobic, and weight control and muscle building activities, can be used recreationally. It is a further object to use the personal flotation device of the subject invention to create more ideal and relaxed conditions for the participation by individuals in the various water activities mentioned above and to motivate and immerse such individuals into participation in what many experts refer to as natures perfect exercise (swimming and hydro calisthenics).
The flotation device of the subject invention can be worn while performing any of the water activities discussed above and should provide a low cost versatile and effective flotation aid to use when performing water activities such as swimming, competitive swim training, swimming instruction, hydro calisthenics, physical therapy, physical fitness, aerobics, and various recreational and other water activities. The flotation device of the subject invention includes buoyant portions at each end that are joined by a clamping member that clamps the flotation device to the user. Preferably, the portion of the flotation device between the buoyant end portions of the flotation device is also buoyant, but it is not necessary that the portion of the flotation device intermediate the buoyant end portions of the flotation device be buoyant, e.g. the buoyancy of the portion of the flotation device intermediate the buoyant end portions of the flotation device may be neutral having the same or substantially the same specific gravity as water.
When the flotation device of the subject invention is worm, the clamping member passes from an abdominal region of a user between the user""s legs to a back region of the user. The flotation device can be easily and quickly put on by passing a middle portion the clamping member between the user""s legs and bringing the buoyant end portions of the flotation device into contact with an abdominal region and a back region of the user. With the flotation device in place, the clamping member presses the buoyant end portions of the flotation device against the abdominal and back regions of a user""s trunk to clamp the flotation device to the user""s trunk and hold the flotation device in place while the user performs water activities. The clamping member also permits the buoyant end portions of the flotation device to be moved away from each other to unclamp the flotation device from a user""s trunk so that the user can easily and quickly remove the flotation device when he/she has completed his/her water activity.
Preferably, the buoyant end portions of the flotation device of the subject invention are centered on regions of the user""s abdomen and back and do not extend laterally beyond the person""s trunk. With the buoyant end portions of the flotation device not extending laterally beyond the user""s trunk; with the clamping member passing between the user""s legs; and with no shoulder straps, waist straps or other encumbering harnesses or fastening means required to mount the flotation device on the user, the flotation device of the subject invention does not interfere with a person""s use of his/her arms and/or legs during use of the flotation device for swimming, competitive or recreational swim training, physical therapy, physical fitness, aerobics, recreation or various other water activities.
Preferably, the flotation device of the subject invention also includes one or two connectors for connecting the flotation device to a tether so that a person using the flotation device can swim in place when wearing the flotation device. With the flotation device clamped to a swimmer and tethered to the end or side of a pool, the flotation device will maintain the swimmer in a fixed position as he/she swims and the swimmer can perform the same swimming exercises in a small backyard pool that would normally require the use of a much larger pool such as an olympic size pool. Since the flotation device of the subject invention does not interfere with the use of the person""s arms or legs, the user can do any of the normal swimming strokes, such as but not limited to the crawl stroke, backstroke, breaststroke, butterfly stroke, and side stroke, plus any other stroke or exercise that comes to mind.